Bernard Sahlins

Bernard “Bernie” Sahlins, co-founder of Chicago’s Second City theatrical troupe, wasn’t a comedian himself. But thanks to him, we’ve all had a lot of laughs over the past few decades. Without Sahlins, who died on June 16 at age 90 in Chicago, George Wendt – best known for his role as Norm Peterson in the iconic 1980s-early 1990s sitcom Cheers – might have abandoned comedy and perhaps even become an accountant. As Wendt recently recalled, after he and other Second City newbies in the …